Author: Shaolee Mahboob
Mahboob, Shaolee, 2007 The Representation of Women in Television Advertisements: a Comparative Analysis in Australia and Bangladesh, Flinders University, School of Social and Policy Studies
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This thesis considers women's representation in television commercials in Australia and Bangladesh. It is an empirical study. A total of 780 advertisements were recorded from various television channels of Australia and Bangladesh. Among them 280 and 500 advertisements were taken from Bangladeshi and Australian television channels respectively. This thesis is about women's representation in television commercials in Australia and Bangladesh. Bringing an interdisciplinary but empirical approach to a broad range of recently screened advertisements, the thesis examines how femininities are stereotypically represented in these two countries' television commercials. The study suggests that women are produced and reproduced as sexual objects and/or objects to be looked at, and that representations of women's bodies circulate around the binary of purity and pollution in heavily gendered and racialised ways. The interesting finding of this study is the extension of the 'male-gaze' concept where women come under the gaze from (hetero) sexual perspectives. The study suggests that images of femininity and racialisation are produced and reproduced. This constructs women's secondary position and creates racial instability in societies.
Keywords: Television advertisements,representation,male-gaze,Australia,Bangladesh
Subject: Women's Studies thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2007
School: School of Social and Policy Studies
Supervisor: Dr Heather Brook